Introduction

Sales figures don't lie: ASUS is THE force on the market when it comes to motherboards. Since its inception in 2006, ASUS's ROG line of products has been at the forefront of catering to the desires of PC technology enthusiasts around the globe.

ASUS says this of their ROG line-up:

As a hardware vendor that is in tune with the pulse of PC gamers needs and wants, ASUS is in sync with the industry. With the ASUS ROG brand, we take an active part in the global gaming community, helping develop the industry by sponsoring popular events such as QuakeCon, Dreamhack, and BlizzCon. As a result of our dedication to the gaming industry, renowned game publisher Blizzard has selected ASUS as the official hardware sponsor for two consecutive years. ASUS is proud to be an integral part of the industry and community and will continue to provide the latest hardware to enhance the gaming experience.

ROG stands for "Republic of Gamers", and the products under its wide umbrella encompass the needs and wants of gamers everywhere. What gamers as a whole want is fast, reliable gaming. For many years there's been a tradition of gamers tossing fancy graphics aside in a search of more performance for a competitive edge. In further recognizing the gains in performance leading to gains in points, one thing cannot be overlooked: overclocking.

With the launch of Intel's Z77 Express platform, high-performance was also coupled up with low power draw. With it came huge flexibility in clockspeeds, both for CPUs based on Ivybridge silicon and for system memory, with many claiming overclocked memory speeds of 3000 MHz+. Not every product can get there, and it does depend on the motherboard, but with Futuremark's 3DMark titles being many an extreme enthusiast's favorite game to play, ASUS's ROG team has a product, the ASUS Maximus V Extreme, to meet that need.

Lately, I've looked at quite a few high-end Intel 77 products. Many cost around $400, and the most common feedback to all these motherboards is "Why do I need to spend so much?" Each board maker has different takes on the answer to that question, but the constant between all of them is about delivering a product that has no limits - the Maximus V Extreme is definitely ASUS's "no limits" product. With ASUS, "no limits" has a different meaning for sure, and the ROG vision covers a huge area of functionality. Prepare yourself...this is my largest review yet.

Specifications